Anyone
who reads any of my stuff here at PFO probably knows
by now that I spend a goodly amount of time in the
Chicago area for a variety of reasons, but a lot of
that time is spent seeking out music, both new and
old. Whether old music, in the form of CDs from the
multitude of thrifts and other outlets where there
is seemingly no shortage of amazingly good titles
(usually for a buck or so each!), or new music from
the robust and thriving live music scene in the
Windy City. One of the things I most love about
Chicago is that there's a bar, lounge, coffee shop
or club on just about every corner, and many of them
feature live music from just about every conceivable
genre most nights and weekends. And it's always good
to refresh our reference for well-recorded music
reproduction, right? The absolute sound is
live music!

The
Pucketts

One of
the groups I've had the recent pleasure to hear live
while in Chicago is a husband and wife duo, The Pucketts. While currently plying their craft in the
Second City, The Pucketts—Andrew and Julie—were
both born and bred in the deep south and are steeped
in its lore and musical culture. A musically and
stylistically diverse couple, both are also
classically-trained musicians; Andrew plays guitar
and a number of stringed instruments as well as
cello and keyboards while Julie provides
accompaniment with guitar and piano, and they both
alternate on vocals and harmonies. Their debut EP,
Blood Oath, is a self-produced effort,
recorded at home in their metro Chicago apartment
(listen carefully – you may hear Mr. Butters
skulking about in the background). In addition to
selling their EP at local shows, they're currently
in negotiation with the Bandcamp (http://bandcamp.com/)
artist website for distribution of their music via
digital download. Bandcamp helps new and even
established artists like Sufjan Stevens market and
sell their music while also helping them maintain
artistic and financial control—pretty sweet!

While
their involvement in the burgeoning Chicago (and
worldwide) music scene seems to have sprung out of a
dream, it is, in fact, rapidly becoming a reality
and they're beginning to get some much needed local
and national buzz. Their songs have been featured on
webcasts from sources as diverse as Last.fm and the
BBC; recently, an NYC-based webisode, At Home
With the Merritts! chose them to write their
theme song. Upcoming local radio appearances include
slots on Radio Crystal Blue, Fearless Radio and the
Chicago Acoustic Underground shows to name a few.
Does it sound as though I'm trying to give these
guys the hard sell? A shamelessly over-the-top plug?
OK, for the sake of full disclosure, I'll come clean—Julie Puckett is my daughter, so yes—I do have a
vested interest in their success, capish?

The
Music

The
music—I've spent a disproportionate amount of time
trying to conjure colorful metaphors and concise
comparisons to describe the music, and damned if I
can come up with any! The Pucketts cite as their
musical influences such indie darlings as The Head
and the Heart, Iron & Wine and Bright Eyes, and they
obviously are selling the American folk tradition
with a sort of indie spin wrapped around it.The
self-produced EP is a textbook example of minimalist
production techniques; the songs are either sung
a capella or with guitar accompaniment and were
recorded in single takes with no editing. The
recorded sound is pretty impressive, but considering
the wealth of talent these two possess, maybe a
slightly more layered approach might prove more
satisfying—maybe on their next record! The best
songs on Blood Oath, the eponymous title
track and I Will Carry You, have the kind of
irrepressible hooks that have you humming them long
after the music is gone. And Julie's smoky/sweet
voice really shines on the a capella piece
November '91—I've tried pretty hard to find
another singer with similar qualities—there's no
one else out there who makes a really fair
comparison, and it's truly unusual to hear an
original voice these days. Andrew's voice chimes in
midway through the song and the vocal harmonies the
two create here are pretty impressive.

While an
auspicious debut, the one thing this EP doesn't
capture is the magic and energy The Pucketts give in
spades at their live shows. While the recorded music
is great, the energy level live gets amped up
significantly, and when the live crowd responds (as
they always do), it pushes them towards greatness.
If at some point, they figure out how to inject the
excitement of the live shows into the recording
process, they might just reach that point where all
the stars artistically, critically and commercially
align.

A final
word for these crazy kids: follow your muse, and
don't get swept up in any criticism you're likely to
read in the trades and tabloids—stay true to your
vision. Developing a healthy short-term memory with
regard to negative criticism is an important key to
making it in the music business. And for the rest
of you, keep an eye on The Pucketts. They're out
there in the fields of indie folkland, plying their
trade and honing their craft. They're paying their
dues and biding their time, and soon, it'll be their
time. Tom Gibbs